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Saturday, October 27, 2012

Aston Martin launches new Vanquish in Singapore!

Luxury British
marque Aston Martin Lagonda (S.E.A) has launched the flagship Vanquish
in Singapore. Finished in what we presume is Skyfall Silver, the display
unit is currently on a world tour, and will head over to Malaysia after
its stopover here.

The
Bond approved car first appeared in Die Another Day (though Q from Mi6
called it 'Vanish'). Its successor appeared with an updated DBS
nameplate in the blockbuster movie 'Casino Royale', where it performed a
spectacular body roll right into the record books. The newly unveiled
Vanquish will help Mr.Bond perform Her Majesty's Secret Service(s) once
again in the upcoming flick 'Skyfall'.

Now back to the car,
it looks similar but beneath all that bodywork, is in fact 75 percent
new. Featuring the next generation VH architecture, the external body
panels are made of carbon fibre. The same material was only used for the
bonnet and fenders on the DBS. A large use of the exotic material
allowed Aston Martin to sculpture complex designs besides achieving a
trimmed weight. Another light but rigid material - aluminium is used
for the rest of the spaceframe.

Aston
Martin's CEO, Dr Ulrich Bez, who was formerly from Porsche, explains
the 'refined rather than refreshed' styling approach. We are not
complaining. Like the iconic DB5, we believe the current range of
Aston's are a current classics - and they are not even Italian!

The Vanquish has a familiar face, though it is updated, made obvious
with a more aggressive chin and elegant light clusters. The profile
looks sharp and dominating, clearly inspired by the limited and
exquisite One-77 supercar. Starting from the hunches, the sharp crisp
lines mystically 'melt' to a fluid and flowy rear. The styling is alive
and truly unique, marrying elegance and sportiness in what looks like a
lovechild between the One-77 and the DBS.

The new Vanquish is
Aston's most powerful yet, second only to the limited edition One-77
supercar. The complex design is rewarded with a 5.9-litre V12 mated to a
Touchtronic 2 transmission. The six-speed automatic is operated via
paddles behind the steering wheel.

The
potent V12 produces 573bhp, 56bhp more than a range topping DBS
variant. The V12 propels the Vanquish to a 100km/h in 4.1 seconds, a
respectable performance figure for a car that weighs over 1.7 tonnes.

Mind
you, unlike the Italians who primarily boast on performance figures,
Aston Martin's always functioned as the ultimate Grand Tourer's -
comfort over blinding speed. Aston Martin claims the Vanquish produces a
more defined growl though the occupants will not hear much of the
soundtrack thanks to excellent soundproofing. You can always wind down
the windows or wait for the Volante model.

The new Aston
Martin Vanquish, if it is good for Bond and Mi6, is exceptional for any
commoner though the near seven-figure price tag ($950,000 without COE)
makes it attainable only through video games. For the lucky few, get it
shaken not stirred.